The New Rules of Viral Fundraising

How the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made a splash

Americans give more than $300 billion annually to charitable causes. We’re a generous lot. Then again, there are a lot of hands out. More than a million charitable organizations are asking for those dollars, and many of these organizations are inefficient, even if they are well-meaning.

That’s what made the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge–in which millions of people shared videos of themselves getting doused with ice water and then demanding that others do the same, donate to fight the disease or both–all the more eye-opening. …